The Foolproof Guide to Applying Blush for Your Face Shape

Maybe you're wondering why your face shape matters when it comes to blush. But as it turns out, working with the shape of your face can ensure a more natural-looking flush — if that's what you want, that is. It's just like contouring and filling in your brows because using the shape of your face as a guide can make it easier to apply makeup.

Just to be clear: There are no "rules," if you will, in beauty. How you do your makeup is completely and totally 100 percent up to you. (You feel like wearing blush on your forehead? Go right ahead. Word has it it's been done before.) But for those of you who would appreciate a little guidance, keep reading for tips from makeup artists who apply blush daily.

Round

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If you have a round face with full cheeks like Mindy Kaling, Gabrielle Union, or Kate Bosworth, applying blush couldn't be more simple. "You want to put your blush a little bit lower than the apples of the cheeks, extending it back to the hairline," says makeup artist and founder of Clove + Hallow, Sarah Biggers. She explains that this technique imparts a "lifted" effect that looks great on spherical-shaped faces.

Square

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"For square-shaped faces, the goal is to add some softness to the naturally strong jawline," says Biggers. "By concentrating on the apples of the cheeks, but keeping it close to your nose and then lightly extending the pigment out to the hairline, your cheeks will appear nicely rounded but sculpted," she explains. Makeup artist Camara Aunique, who works with celebs like Insecure's Yvonne Orji, says she sometimes takes the color all the way to the tip of the brows, which helps to slightly soften the lines of the face.

Oval

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Aunique says if your face is shaped like a "curved rectangle" then you most likely fall into the oval category along with Rihanna and Angelina Jolie. If that sounds like you, then Biggers advises applying blush starting in the middle of the cheek — instead of directly on the apples — and extending the color at an upward angle toward your earlobes. "People with oval-shaped faces tend to look best when the outer perimeter is played up in order to fake a bit more width across the center of the face," she says.

Heart

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“For heart-shaped faces, accentuating naturally high cheekbones by extending them even higher is key," says Biggers. For this, she suggests starting on the low side of the apples of your cheeks and applying blush in a semicircle toward the hairline up to the temples. "You want to make sure the majority of the product is concentrated on your cheeks," she adds. Aunique says applying your blush in a "C" shape is a simple and foolproof technique that looks beautiful on heart-shaped faces.